Luke Walsh

(b. 18 December 1964, UK)

Luke Walsh started self-publishing in 1980 with an anti-nuclear themed superhero comic, 'The Protectors', (co-writer Mike Kidson). In the late 1980's Walsh self-published an extended comic series, 'Appletown', and appeared in Ed Pinsent's small press anthology 'Fast Fiction', and the British zippy magazine Encyclopedia Psychedelica, amongst other publications. He was also doing posters and shop-sign writing, and designed record sleeves and picture discs for Liverpool bands. A court-case ensued when his artwork and conceptual ideas were plagiarised for a series of cartoon TV adverts.

During the early to mid 1990's he published and co-edited (also with Mike Kidson) the internationally renowned small-press comics review magazine ZUM!. This provided a vital worldwide service to self-published comic creators for whom an audience would otherwise have been unavailable. During this period Walsh self-published numerous comics, 'Box Of Eyes', 'Duende', 'Munch' and the acclaimed 'Weird Astral Detective Fiction''. Strips of his characters 'The Three Ghosts', regularly appeared in the British comics anthology 'Scenes From The Inside' (Drat'n'Blast Books) and he also produced street drawings and giant comic art style live action performance paintings in Paris and the UK.

In the late 1990's, his strips appeared in Spooky Tales, edited by Marc Baines (Vesuvius), and Flock Of Dreamers, edited by Sasa Rakezic and Bob Kathman (Kitchen Sink Press). Chris Ware tried to help Walsh get published in the US around this time, but Walsh's personal problems curtailed his comic work at this time. Walsh's work has also appeared in various exhibitions, most notably the 1999 Liverpool Biennial 3D piece, Joe Pluto In Rifle Cabinets, four light-boxes containing back-lit comic strips, (this work is now owned by Bill Drummond, who also contributed to its completion). His work was featured on CNN around this time. Since 2001 his time has been split between his musical work, writing, painting and continued work on his comic strip characters 'Joe Pluto' and 'Ersatz Peewit'.